Director and Cinematographer Jonathan Lawrence sits down with the Space Twins of My Outer Space TV to discuss his latest project, China’s 3D epic Empires of the Deep. The Space Twins pick the brain of Mr. Lawrence for the benefit of the citizens of planets Creatia and Triton, and learn about his experiences shooting films in foreign countries such as China, India and Denmark. Jonathan Lawrence got his start with the independent sci fi film Dream Parlor, borrowing discarded props and materials from the sets of other films.
He is also known for his Cinematography on films such as Milk and Waiting for Johnnie Walker. Lawrence discusses his work on the upcoming Empires of the Deep, which will be China’s biggest special effects-laden 3D film project to date with a staggering $100 million budget. Jonathan Lawrence co-directs the film with Michael French (Heart of a Dragon). The film’s production also involves part of the team responsible for the effects in Avatar.Empires of the Deep is set in ancient Greece, and includes many epic undersea battles involving mermaids, monsters and demons.
ALAN DEAN FOSTER MOS EXCLUSIVE: A Modern Master of Science Fiction Speaks
By Jasen T. Davis
The Big Three of science fiction are commonly considered to be Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein. I believe there to be a Big Four of science fiction, with Alan Dean Foster completing the list. He’s certainly as prolific as any of the others. Much like Conan the Barbarian’s early gladiatorial victories in the film of the same name, Foster’s works cannot easily be counted, from more than twenty stand- alone novels to the Commonwealth novels, the Damned, Taken and Icerigger trilogies, the novels of Pip and Flinx, and the Journeys of the Catechist books, to name only a few.
That’s not to say that Alan Dean Foster’s successes are isolated solely to the realm of science fiction. He’s also published work in the genre of fantasy, but then, so did Asimov. Foster’s Spellsinger series has received numerous well-deserved accolades, pushing the boundaries of the sword and sorcery field.
More than just the aforementioned, Foster is the man to go to in the industry when it comes to film novelizations, from Krull, Star Trek, Transformers, Star Wars, The Last Starfighter, Terminator Salvation, The Thing, Chronicles of Riddick and many others. Uniquely impressive is Foster’s ability to write for both the Star Wars and Star Trek universes. He has not only written many episodes of the Star Trek animated series, he’s also composed Star Wars books like the Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and The Approaching Storm.
Foster has since become involved with MyOuterSpace.com and was kind enough to sit down with us for a one-on-one exclusive interview.
Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, composer, and founder of Bad Robot Productions. An Emmy and Golden Globe-winner, he is known as the creator or co-creator of the television series Felicity, Alias, Lost, and Fringe, and as a director of films including Mission: Impossible III and the 2009 feature Star Trek.
Abrams' first job in the movie business started when he was 16 when he wrote music forDon Dohler's film Nightbeast. During his senior year at college, he teamed with a friend to wrte a feature film treatment. Purchased by Touchstone Pictures, the treatment was the basis for Taking Care of Business, Abrams' first produced film, which starred Charles Grodin and Jim Belushi. He followed that up with Regarding Henry, starring Harrison Ford, and Forever Young, starring Mel Gibson.
Matthew Reis is a writer and independent animation producer who prefers animation to the real world. For two years, Matthew lived on a tight budget while he brought Kid with a Rocket Launcher (KWARL - kwarl.com) to life. He did without a car, in car-dependent Los Angeles, and cut back on many things people take for granted, such as a cell phone and food.
Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, he developed an interest in animation as well as writing early on, even before he can clearly remember. Video games helped to expand his interest into Asian animation and, in 2004, he moved to Los Angeles to work in Hollywood. He has been employed by the same great company for nearly five years.
“The idea for KWARL originated as a feature length animated screenplay, so The Fuzz of War short was a return to what I originally envisioned KWARL to be. I decided to write books because, as a writer, I had complete control over them and didn’t need much money to get the stories out into the world. They happened to turn out really well too, as one book wasn’t enough for me to cover all the ideas I had for the satirical, modern day fable of kid-knight Vincent Frye,” commented Matthew.
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